Growing Communities
A small business seminar aimed at strengthening towns and the people who inhabit them.
Where the idea came from
I am from a small town in the Northwest hills of Connecticut. If you were to come to this town, you would think there wasn’t much to it. But, if you gave it more of your time and attention, you would see that there is a lot more than meets the eye. I have lived here for 16 years and throughout all of those years I have seen every aspect of the town evolve. There are several small businesses here as well as attractions and events, none of which would be where they are today without the collaboration of all of those involved.
My mother owns a general store in the town, which looks a lot different now than it did 16 years ago when she first bought it. Not only did she change the entire look and feel of the building, she also added on an outdoor seating area, more inside seating, a catering business, many new food items and even an ice cream parlor. After all of this, and with some help from social media and other advertising outlets, the store became a hot spot for people all over Connecticut and surrounding states as well. Aside from this successful business, there is also a one of a kind furniture making factory, a glass blowing studio, a bakery, a tavern and an inn.
Even with all of the success the town has experienced, there is still more that can be done. There is so much potential here and if the townspeople and business owners want to continue growing, they need a proper method of doing so. The town used to have a committee that met every so often to go over events and some other minor tasks, but unfortunately that group has stopped meeting. I have listened to my mother talk about how desperately the town needs to have something like that committee put back in place.
This is what sparked my idea to create a small business seminar that could not only be used by my beloved hometown, but by any town struggling or wanting to develop themselves. I am grateful to be a part of transforming a town from its bare minimum to its highest potential, and it has given me a passion for small towns and small businesses around the globe. I used this capstone project as an opportunity to give back to my town and to hopefully help out other towns out there that are just like mine.
What is the idea?
The seminar I created is only an example of what could be done. There are many topics that could be included when talking about business and community growth, so I only planned out four seminars as a series that would meet once a week, every other week. The first seminar is all about business. Since the biggest stakeholders in this seminar’s success are the small business owners, the seminar sort of revolves around them. This gives them a space to talk about their business, how they got to where they are, what they know about business and what their future plans are.
I have also included individuals who are looking to start their own businesses. This seminar also gives them a chance to hear personal stories from people who were in their shoes, and see what it is really like to own your own business. I also scheduled in time for the future business owners to talk about their own business ideas or plans, and to have time with a financial planner as well.
Also included in the seminars is a portion of time devoted to the growth of the town. This is a time where business owners, entrepreneurs and community members all work together on what they can do to better the town. This could include ideas for new events, existing events, advertising, what to do with empty buildings and/or spaces, attractions, etc. Each of the two hour long seminars includes this community focused portion for the first hour. After that first hour, the other half of the seminar is devoted to different topics relating to business and success. Some of the topics I have included are stress and mindset, working with family and the obstacles that must be overcome specifically by women in business.
What do people think?
After creating brochures that outlined each of the four seminars, I then went to different business owners around town to ask them for their opinions and ideas. I was told that financial advice, market research tips and stress management are some of the most wanted topics, all of which I intended on including.
What makes my seminar different from what is already out there is that it is more personable first off, and second it is more focused on the ‘bigger picture.’ By the bigger picture, I am referring to the town as a whole. When people attend business seminars, what they are expecting to get out of it is how to progress themselves and their own business. In reality, for any business to be successful it depends on the community it is in. Many businesses fail not due to lack of effort from the owners, but because the community itself is not progressing. In order for business owners to be successful they need to be able to count on their constituents.
Small businesses have the power to recreate a town and benefit a lot more than just the person or people who start and run the business. This is why the focus for my seminar will be on the community as a whole, and will be specific to the people and the town involved, which can then be used as a model for other towns or cities.
